Loan-star striker who ended up at Manchester City was viewed as just an impact player by the Old Trafford manager

Expendable: Tevez helped Man United win the title but Fergie could live without him

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Carlos Tevez was simply not worth buying, insisted Sir Alex Ferguson.
Tevez became a huge fan favourite in his two years on loan at Old Trafford as United won back to back crowns.
His final months were played out to a continuing backdrop of chants from the supporters, of “Fergie, Fergie, sign him up’’.
But the former United manager reveals in Alex Ferguson My Autobiography that he had already decided it was time to let Tevez go.
Fergie
was famously wound up when Tevez, having signed for bitter rivals
Manchester City, was used by the Etihad club for their “Welcome to
Manchester’’ banner.
That ramped up the “noisy neighbour’’ rhetoric from Ferguson, whose faith in the Argentine to contribute had swiftly faded.
When
Tevez joined from West Ham, Ferguson noted his “enthusiasm and
energy’’, although pointing out that he was not exactly the most
dedicated trainer, moaning about a calf injury the manager was, it
seems, unconvinced was real.
His goals, though, made a difference, including last-gasp equalisers at Spurs and Blackburn.
But having signed Dimitar Berbatov in 2008, the doubts grew.
Ferguson felt that the Bulgarian in tandem with Wayne Rooney was the way forward.
Now
he began to believe Tevez was now “playing for himself’’ and felt that
he had already decided he wanted to leave United for their closest foes.
“He’s
the type of animal that needs to play all the time,’’ said Ferguson.
“If you’re not training intensively, which he wasn’t, you need to play
regularly.’’
Ferguson recalls a conversation in which Tevez tried to blame him for the decision not to take up their option.
When United offered the agreed £25million fee “it was as if we were talking to the wall’’.
The Scot clearly believes City did pay £47m for Tevez and says he understands Chelsea had bid £35m.
“These were incredible sums,’’ he said. “To me, he was an impact player. I wouldn’t have paid that kind of money.’’